Display spotlights family of dancers
Irish American costumes exhibited
Sheila Savage learned to step dance almost as soon as she learned to walk. Coming from a family of Irish step dancers, Savage was the third generation to learn the craft, which survived the family’s immigration to the United States where it continues to thrive.
To commemorate her family’s history with the art form, Savage has put together an exhibit of her family’s step dance costumes, from the first generation down to the latest at the Irish American Heritage Museum. The costumes, made of velvet, cotton and polyester, have been preserved careful
ly through the years by her. The oldest costume is almost 70 years old.
“It was a great honor for me to recreate the original exhibit of the museum and add on my daughter’s collection, because when my mom did the first exhibit my daughter wasn’t born yet,” she said.
The exhibit was originally curated, and displayed by Savage’s mother when the museum originally opened in 1990 in the Catskill Mountains. Savage updated the original exhibit with her daughter’s costumes, dedicating it to the memory of her parents. The exhibit is on display through the end of April.
“I think it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s both a local story, with her own family and the three generations of women, but it’s also kind of a microcosm for Irish Americans because this story repeats, probably in every Irish American family,” said Elizabeth Stack, executive director of the Irish American Heritage museum. “And it’s gorgeous to see the original immigrant bring the tradition and then pass it down through her descendants.
It’s exactly the mission of the museum here, to pass on the story. So, we’re delighted to have the exhibit on the show.”
Savage’s mother, Sheila Kenny, came to the United States in the 1960s after answering a newspaper ad and being offered a job as a nanny in Loudonville.
Irish step dance wasn’t too well known until the stage production “Riverdance” became an international hit in the mid-1990s. Savage says before “Riverdance” it was difficult to explain the art to people.
“I just also want to say a shout out to anybody that was ever an Irish dancer prior to ‘Riverdance,’ because we had our own underground society so to speak,” she said.
The family competed in step dance competitions known as feisanna. Savage herself last competed only four years ago. She remembers her parents taking her to competitions across the country and even up to Canada. She did the same for her own daughter, who competed until she became pregnant with her first child. Savage has big hopes for her grandchildren.
“We’re waiting to see if there’s going to be a fifth-generation dancer. Please, God, there will be someday.”